Patriots Ex Mike Vrabel Hired by Browns
Former New England Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel has a new job - at one of Bill Belichick's former stomping grounds.
Vrabel, the former Tennessee Titans head coach who was fired in January, is now a coaching and personnel consultant with the Cleveland Browns, according to NFL Network.
The partnership started at the NFL Combine in February, when Vrabel joined Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, general manager Andrew Berry and others in Indianapolis.
Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel reacts to a Titans penalty against the Seattle Seahawks during their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023.
Credit: © Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK
A native of Akron, Ohio, Vrabel played collegiately at Ohio State and now returns to the area after missing out on several head coaching vacancies during this past cycle.
The 48-year-old Vrabel enjoyed a successful 14-year professional playing career before entering coaching. He played with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1997-2000, the Patriots from 2001-2008 and the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-2010.
Across eight seasons in New England, Vrabel played in 125 games with 110 starts. He made 606 tackles, 55 tackles for loss and 48 sacks.
Prior to becoming Tennessee's head coach, Vrabel was the Houston Texans' defensive coordinator in 2017. He was Houston's linebackers coach from 2014-2016, a tenure that succeeded three years as an assistant coach at Ohio State University - one as linebackers coach, two as defensive line coach.
During his six-year stint with the Titans, Vrabel went 54-45, made three trips to the playoffs and won NFL Coach of the Year in 2021, when he guided Tennessee to a 12-5 record.
After making the AFC Championship game in Vrabel's second season, Tennessee lost in the divisional and wildcard rounds, respectively, in the two years that followed.
But the Titans struggled over the past two years, going 7-10 in 2022 and 6-11 this past season.
Now, Vrabel moves onto his next endeavor - which could perhaps prove short before entering the coaching carousel again next offseason.
